


like birds (in the sky)

by szczepter



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, Tengu!Kagami, Zashiki Warashi!Kuroko, also very pointless, this is inspired by cross colors gatcha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 13:05:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7803010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szczepter/pseuds/szczepter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami asks Kuroko to go on a trip with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like birds (in the sky)

**Author's Note:**

> i had such problems to finish this bc ive been writing only drabbles for the past like 3 months wtf

_Tap._

_Tap. Tap._

“Hey.”

_Tap._

“Hey, Kuroko! Are you there?”

_Tap._

“Yes, I am here.”

“Uah! Don’t appear so suddenly!”

The smaller spirit simply blinked at his taller friend.

“That’s rude. You were the one who were calling me Kagami-kun.”

“Yeah, but!” The tall Tengu sputtered before he composed himself. “Anyway, I was wondering if you’re busy.”

“I’m not. I’m alone at the house today. The whole family went out somewhere.”

Kagami nodded and decided to sit down on the windowpane. Kuroko slowly closed the book he was reading and smiled at his friend.

“Though you could say I am house sitting.”

Kagami hummed and swung his legs for a moment, contemplating something.

“Do you want to go out?”

Kuroko blinked.

“Out? I suppose. We can go into the garden.”

“No, no. That’s what I meant. Do you want to go somewhere…further? With me.”

Pause.

“Further?"

“Not too far.” Kagami assured him. “And not for long. Is your family coming back today?”

“Yes, but I am not sure it is proper of me to leave the house…even if the habitats are missing…”

Kagami bit his lip.

“I mean…it’s fine then…if you don’t want to-“

“I never said I didn’t want to.” Kuroko interrupted him, sounding slightly annoyed. “I just said I’m not sure if I should.”

“I’ll bring you home before it gets dark.”

Kuroko eyed his friend skeptically.

Truth be told, he was a bit envious of his friend's nature. He was free, like the birds he represented, able to fly whenever he wanted. Kuroko often watched him from the household, as he flew around with various birds and chased the rain from the clouds. He seemed to love it, and Kuroko, despite the small spark of envy, learned to love watching him.

"Where would we even go?" He asked, trying to put up some fight, but knowing that it was a lost cause. Whatever Kagami-kun wanted, Kuroko was unable to deny him that. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to leave. It was simply an unspoken rule that he shouldn't leave the house if the family wasn't displaying signs of greed or other atrocious emotions.

He could watch the children in the garden, or walk around the nearby small orchard. He shouldn't go too far.

But his family wasn't home right now.

He was fighting with himself when Kagami spoke again.

"Not go. Fly."

Kuroko shot him a skeptic look.

"Kagami-kun...you know very well that I can't fly."

Kagami sputtered.

"O-of course I know that! I mean." He paused and scratched his nape. "I mean, I'll fly and carry you."

Kuroko felt as warmth involuntary flooded his cheeks, but hoped Kagami would somehow miss it.

"Carry me?"

Now it was the Tengu's time to flush.

"Y-yeah."

Kuroko was taken a back at the admission. Once in a while he did imagine what it would be to fly with Kagami-kun, to see the world from his perspective, but those thoughts were always left only in the realm of Kuroko's imagination, as the spirit never dared to mention he craved such a thing at least once in his life.

Kagami noticed his hesitation.

"Come on Kuroko. I'm pretty strong and you probably weight as much as a pillow."

And interpreted it mostly as a doubt in Kagami-kun's strength and not for Kuroko's slightly indecent thoughts. Which both relived and annoyed him at the same time.

"I do not." He answered with something akin to a sulk and Kagami-kun grinned.

"Come on. I won't drop you. Promise. And I'll bring you back before they get back."  He reached out his hand towards Kuroko and waited patiently.

Kuroko sighed internally, not seeing any more point in resisting, since he _did_ want it in the first place. He squashed the last shred of thoughts in the back of his mind which were telling him that he was doing something improper and irresponsible and put his own palm in Kagami-kun's outstretched one.

Kagami grinned then and grasped his hand firmly, yet not painfully and pulled him forward. Kuroko made an oof sound when he collided with his chest, but didn't have any time to voice his complaints when Kagami-kun's powerful wings moved suddenly, producing gusts of wind in an instant and making the dirt around them rise.

Kuroko closed his eyes when without any warning they took off and left the safety of the surface.

There was a rush of wind and pressure around them and Kuroko buried his face in Kagami's chest for some semblance of protection and comfort.

And then it stopped.

"Hey." He heard a voice. "You can open your eyes now."

Kuroko did, but what he immediately saw was Kagami-kun's wide grin. Normally, he would think it was endearing, but there was also an unpleasant feeling in his gut and the only emotion he felt right now, while watching Kagami-kun's face was irritation.

He punched him in the arm, with all the strength he could muster, which turned out to be quite a bit, because the Tengu yelped in slight pain.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For taking off so suddenly. That was uncalled for." Kuroko pouted and tried to look angry, but he was more annoyed and maybe a bit nauseous.

Guilt appeared on Kagami-kun's face then and he looked away.

"Sorry." He said, and tightened his grip around Kuroko.

Kuroko sighed.

"It's fine. Please don't do it again. That startled me."

He patted him on the chest, showing that he wasn't that angry.

He looked down then and saw that they were indeed up, above the tallest trees. He heard Kagami-kun's powerful wings move steadily, producing only gentle whips of air now and keeping them afloat.

Kagami-kun shifted him and Kuroko found himself being carried, while Kagami-kun urged his hands around his neck.

"Hold on to me." He said and Kuroko nodded, wrapping his arms more tightly around Kagami's neck.

Then they flew.

Kagami kept true to this promise and Kuroko was safely secured in the Tengu's arms, all the while his powerful wings moved with a natural sort of ease. They moved slowly through the air, above the trees.

Kuroko was a bit apprehensive to look below them, but soon curiosity won with his slight fear and he let out a small gasp of awe.

"Awesome huh?" Kagami asked and Kuroko merely nodded, too transfixed on the world below them.

Everything looked like a miniature. The houses, the other buildings, the fields, the river, even the _people._ They all looked like ants, or small dolls. Kuroko felt like he was looking at a dollhouse or observed a strange puppet show from an unusual angle.

A thought, flashed in his head that that was how Kagami-kun saw the world on a daily basis. He probably looked so small and unassuming in his eyes as well, and yet he decided to become friends with him despite all that.

Kuroko closed his eyes briefly and inhaled the air. It smelled different here than on the ground. It was cleaner, purer.

Kuroko closed his eyes once again, but it was not because of fear this time, but contemned. He involuntary felt a smile tug at his lips and then he was humming under his breath.

_Fly, fly, the feathers in the sky like birds, up and far away._

"What's that?" Kagami asked suddenly, startling Kuroko and making him flush slightly.

"Ah. That's a song I heard the children sing one time in the garden. I felt it would be appropriate for the occasion."

He looked up and saw Kagami grin.

"I like it." He said and looked at him. "Go on."

Kuroko felt his face get warmer but he nodded and continued. He didn't remember the whole song, since the children liked to change the words as they went and Kuroko never heard the original.

Soon he trailed off, words changing into hums and Kagami chuckled above him.

"Let's eat lunch." He said and he stopped when they reached one of the tallest trees.

He set Kuroko gently on one of the branches.

"Is is necessary to eat lunch so high?" He asked, looking down with apprehensiveness.

"Yeah. The view is best here." He said and waved a hand showing off the breathtaking horizon of trees and sky.

Kuroko hummed in agreement.

"Okay, wait I'll go get lunch."

Before Kuroko could say anything Kagami-kun was gone and he was left alone, for a few, long and slightly uncomfortable minutes.

Kagami-kun came back before he could truly panic. He carried a basket in his arm.

"Here." He set the basket down on the opposing branches and took out a few rice balls and gave some to Kuroko. "Eat up."

Kuroko eyed the food for a moment.

"What? You don't like rice balls?"

"I do...but...forgive for impertinence, but where did you get them?"

Kagami was munching on his lunch and then snorted.

"I made them." Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "Honestly! What? You thought I stole them or something?"

"Well...yes."

"Oi! That's rude." Kuroko gave him a small smile and dug into his rice ball.

"It's delicious."

They ate in silence, Kuroko now more comfortable in the presence of his friend was able to admire the view as well as observe all the various animals which were roaming the neighboring trees.

It was a nice and sunny afternoon with a light breeze. They finished the rest of the rice balls and Kagami produced a small bag of blueberries for Kuroko who took them with a small thank you.

"Thank you. But let's share, there's plenty of them." He said and reached for the basket so put the blueberries back and put the basket between them.

A squirrel jumped from one of the branches and startled Kuroko who wobbled dangerously for a moment and almost slid from the branch.

"Careful!" Kagami scolded him, arms already wrapped around Kuroko's arm to keep him steady and help him sit back more sacredly.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said and then felt that something was off. He looked down and saw that one of his wooden sandals was missing.

"Oh." He said and flexed his bare toes. Kagami sighed.

"Okay. Wait here." He said and quickly dove down, disappearing momentarily in the maze of green. Moments later he resurfaced back with Kuroko's unscattered shoe.

"Here. Got it." He said and motioned for Kuroko to lift his leg while he slipped the sandal back on his foot.

They both flushed a bit at the gesture, but neither said anything.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. And I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Kagami dismissed his worries with a snort and then opened his arms for Kuroko.

"Yeah. Don't mention it. Come on, we still have some time."

Kuroko nodded and slipped off the branch and into Kagami-kun's embrace. He didn't stay like this for long, only till they flew over the tallest tree and then Kagami-kun shifted him, perching him on his shoulder.

Kuroko blinked down at Kagami.

"Is this okay? I'm not too heavy?"

Kagami laughed at that and Kuroko frowned, deciding to pull a bit on the Tengu's feathers in punishment.

"Ow. Don't do that. No you're not heavy, geeze."

 "Then please don't laugh at me. It's rude."

"Okay, okay sorry." Kagami-kun grumbled back and squeezed Kuroko's knee in apology. "Look. Sunset."

It was a sunset indeed. Kuroko had ever seen it from such a high. It painted the whole horizon in its soft yellows and oranges.

Kuroko hummed content, scanning the horizon when something caught his attention.

"What is that?" Kuroko asked and Kagami looked to where he was pointing.

"Oh. That's the city."

"City?"

"Yeah, it's like a bigger village. And smellier." He wrinkled his nose.

Kuroko was thoughtful for a long moment, looking at the strange density of buildings and the movement he could see from the distance.

"Can we go there?" Kuroko felt Kagami gave a start.

"Uh. There? Well..." He trailed off and looked into the direction of the city.

"It's getting late and I promised I'd get you before your family gets back."

Kuroko nodded. Indeed that was the deal.

"And besides...I'd rather not take you there."

"Why? Is it because it's too far away or because I'm suddenly heavy?"

Kagami laughed.

"Neither. Just...that place doesn't suit you."

Kuroko tilted his head to the side.

"How's so?"

"Um, well..." Kagami thought for a moment. "It's noisy and smelly, as I said...and more crowded than the village. I don't want you to get lost or something."

Kuroko had to roll his eyes. Just because he was a spirit associated with children and it didn't mean he was _actually_ a child.

"And well...there are some really nasty people there. You won't like it."

Kuroko huffed; annoyed at Kagami-kun assuming that he was so naive.

"Bad people are everywhere Kagami-kun. In the countryside as well."

"Yeah...I guess..." He paused. "If you really wanna go...we could, but it is pretty far and I don't know if you could leave the house for so long. It would at least take a day to fly there."

"I see." Kuroko hummed and thought about this more deeply. It was indeed unfortunate. He decided that he would be okay with going anywhere if it meant he would be able to go with Kagami-kun.

That thought startled him a bit.

They arrived back at the household of Kuroko's family. The habitats were returning, so it was only fitting for the house spirit to do the same.

Kagami set Kuroko on the ground gently, but he still wobbled slightly, so Kagami didn't let him go for a moment.

"Careful. Better watch those shoes." He joked and Kuroko rolled his eyes, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you. That was a very lovely trip."

"Yeah." Kagami agreed. "It was nice." He said and bit his cheek not knowing what to say more. And he was still holding Kuroko's forearm.

"If...if possible. I would love to go on another trip with you."

"Oh. Yeah that would be great but...I'm afraid...we can't repeat that so soon."

Kuroko blinked up at his friend.

Kagami scratched his nape.

"I need to...go to my nest for a while."

"Oh. Is it far?"

"Yeah. Over the mountains." Kuroko looked to the opposite direction. The mountains were big and menacing for such a small spirit like Kuroko.

"I see." He replied, disappointment coloring his voice.

Kagami sighed.

"But if you wait a few months, we can go again." He bit his lip. "That is, if you're still willing to."

Kuroko nodded.

"Yes. I would love that."

"O-okay. Great. Then I'll be back."

"Then I'll be waiting." Kuroko said and Kagami felt his own cheeks color for a moment.

"Yeah. Okay." He said and started putting some distance between them, letting Kuroko's arm go.

"So, I guess I'll see y-"

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko interrupted him and moved forward. He tangled his hands in Kagami's robe and tugged him down.

He made a small sound of confusion when Kuroko kissed his cheek for a brief moment.

"Thank you." He said again when he pulled away and with one last small smile, he ran off into the house.

Kagami stood there for a moment, gaping like a fish after Kuroko, before he remembered to close his mouth.

"Yeah." He said.

And then he flew away.


End file.
